Why the West Indies’ absence from the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup is significant
It would, by no means, be a stretch to believe that the ongoing men’s cricket World Cup in India has the potential of being the most competitive edition in the event’s history. Despite the prospect of what we could witness, this World Cup misses a key ingredient – Caribbean flavour.
The West Indies, winners of the first two ODI World Cups, in 1975 and 1979, failed to qualify for the group stage of the World Cup for the first time in their rich cricketing history with defeats to Zimbabwe, The Netherlands, and Scotland in the qualifying round.
It has been a long time since the West Indies were part of the ‘favourites’ discussion in a 50-over World Cup, having failed to make even the semi-finals since 1996, and finishing ninth in a 10-team World Cup in 2019. Not qualifying for the 2023 edition is a culmination of a steady drop in the team’s level in ODI cricket since the turn of the century. They are currently languishing below Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the ICC ODI rankings, who both competed in their first official ODIs long after the West Indies won their maiden World Cup trophy. As things stand, the West Indies could almost be regarded as an associate side.
So why is the West Indies’ absence a big deal?
There is more to their aura than runs, wickets, and numbers. A complete West Indies performance often brings out elements from the team’s personality that go down in memory. Be it their unique styles of celebration or the fearless style of cricket, the way they go about things often attracts attention. Machel St Patrick Hewitt, Caribbean cricket expert and host of the Caribbean Cricket Podcast, would agree. He highlighted how not having a ‘brand’ such as the West Indies at a World Cup is monumental.
“The West Indies are still, even in spite of not being a good team, their brand is still unique,” Hewitt told Sports Gazette, before further elaborating on the ‘missing flavour.’
“It just feels wrong that you can’t have two-time World Cup winners and a finalist. There’a a certain flavour, a colour, a certain kind of vibes that are missing by the West Indies not being there,” Hewitt added.
That flair and the region’s rich cricketing legacy have earned the West Indies a massive global fan base. A good example is the reaction from fans to their 2016 T20 World Cup victory in India, where the West Indies beat England in a thrilling finale.
“It was as if the West Indies were the home team,” Hewitt said, recalling the final. “I don’t think you’d get that with another neutral team being in a final in another country.”
The West Indies team celebrates after winning the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Hewitt draws an interesting parallel to further highlight the West Indies’ contribution to world cricket and why their absence will be felt at this World Cup.
“In football, people are like, ‘Brazil is my second team.’ Brazil pull at people’s heartstrings because of what they’ve meant to the world game. I think the West Indies are the same,” he expressed. “If it is T20s, Tests, ODIs, everyone deep down still respects what the West Indies brought to the world game.”
Most importantly, the West Indies’ absence does not do the sport any favours with its desperate need to go global, which is long overdue. A ‘World Cup’ with only 10 nations competing is, in itself, not helpful. Add to that the complete lack of representation from the Americas, of which the West Indies have been worthy flag bearers.
The other side of the same coin
While the World Cup is devoid of a big brand in world cricket, how will the brand itself suffer as a result of not qualifying?
The financial loss just by not participating in a tournament of this significance will hurt. The effect of that will be felt more in the future, Hewitt highlighted, due to the fact that the West Indies do not have a ‘big money’ home series, against India or England for example, coming up anytime soon.
West Indies cricketer Alick Athanaze during the 2023 ODI series against India.
Even now, Caribbean players are among the biggest attractions in franchise-based T20 leagues around the world. However, Hewitt argues that performances at the international stage are still driving forces to get noticed in those leagues, and sitting out of a World Cup puts a huge dent in the players’ personal brands. While the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer, among other established names, will still be better off, Hewitt is worried for the upcoming generation of players.
“What you do internationally still brings a value set to your brand. Every time we have repeated failures as a West Indies team, it’s having a knock on effect on the brand and therefore the individual player brands,” Hewitt stressed.
